The Republic’s Health Minister’s blanket ban (subs needed) on smoking in public places has not gone down well with one public house owner in Kerry, who still hopes common sense will prevail before the ban is officially imposed in the New Year. Most publicans had contingency plans involving practical compromises for the new year. In his own case, in the Munster Bar, Mr O’Sullivan was able to point to the hinges on a frame to allow a double door to …
The speculation continues. Tony Blair’s point man’ in Northern Ireland Jonathan Powell has been in Belfast having discussions with the key pro Agreement players, ie the senior negotiators in the UUP and Sinn Fein. Paul Murphy tried to inject his own ‘chill’ factor with a warning that failure to come up with a deal would put politics into cold storage. And as one particularly cheery commentator told Slugger yesterday, ‘I wouldn’t put the farm on having an November election, just …
There is a rule of thumb that seldom finds itself confronted with embarassing anomalies in Northern Ireland. It applies in equal measure to both communities/political traditions. That is, Unionists are most interesting and engaging when they talk about unionism, and Nationalists when they talk about nationalism. Perhaps for the time being, the converse is best avoided. Steven King with some interesting thoughts on the origins of Unionist sentiment: …unionism’s roots are to be found in an attachment to a Great …
Arguably the internal crisis seems to have abated from its high tempratures of the early summer. The UUP have double dose of meetings today. First the party’s 110 strong Executive meets, primarily to vote on what action, if any, to take against the party’s the three, followed by a meeting of the party officers group to make decisions on precisely how to follow that up. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of …
In an early response to Peter Robinson’s op-ed last night, the SDLP’s Sean Farren voices a scepticism over the DUP’s claims to be able to be pragmatic, given some of the visceral feeling amongst their grass roots support at local council level. Where is the evidence on the ground that the DUP is ready to make a bold leap forward and embrace any working relationship with nationalists? Peter Robinson huffs and puffs about his new found willingness to be pragmatic …
We seem to be in one of those increasingly familiar (and seemingly endless) corridor moments, where we all seem to be stuck outside the door in which the real deals are happening, each trying to guess what is really going on, and no one sure. We seem caught in suspended animation between the Ceasefire moment and the full on government moment. It is eminently possible that it will take at least a full ten years between the calling of the …
Paul Murphy is to announce proposals for new hate crimes legislation at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth today. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
The Sunday Tribune last week published this article on the current state of the blogging phenomenon. Technology journalist Matt Magee talks to a number commentators and bloggers. Interestingly he identifies the point at which blogging began to break into public consciousness in Ireland as the rise of Salam Pax, the Baghdad-based blogger. By Matt Magee Eyebrows were raised around the world last spring as journalists began to make reference to a set of eye-witness accounts that gave a rare and …
Gerry Adams says he’d happily go to David Trimble’s house for tea, while trying to flog his book to readers of the Independent (slightly mawkish extracts here). Oh, he also says he “wouldn’t describe the IRA as terrorists”, when asked about the war on terrorism.. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK …
On tv and radio worth watching is Hearts and Minds (available later) tonight interviews Mark Durkan about his party’s readiness for elections and looks at what role NI’s politician’s played at the Labour party conference this week. On Saturday morning Jean McConville’s daughter Helen McKendry is interviewed at length on Women’s Hour, on BBC Radio 4. And the Sunday Issue returns this Sunday morning with a focus on the ongoing controversy around Human Rights. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of …
There is a lot of difference. Believe it or not Belfast people are just so much more happy. And Dublin comes out the as the happiest capital in Europe. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
As David Trimble and Gerry Adams prepare for their fifth meeting in twenty days, Noel MacAdam reports that the two men have shaken hands. It may not seem like much in and of itself, but it may indicates that David Trimble is confident they have a plan for going forward he believes he can sell to his party, and ultimately to the wider Unionist electorate. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of …
Coming out the latest UUP/Sinn Fein meeting to try to get democracy re-started at Stormont, Martin McGuinness has suggested they have ten days to get a workable deal on the table. Some of our more sceptical readers will note that NI habitually throws up these apparently hard deadline, often only to break them. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular …
Chris Thornton wonders how the current political system can create a situation in which it has taken two men who have worked in partnership within government six years to eventually shake hands. He then goes on to explain why he thinks it happened. insiders say the deed – some major form of decommissioning, televised according to Mr Trimble’s preferences – is coming along nicely. The words are said to be trickier, and have reportedly become a sticking point over recent …
After seems like months of trying to reel in an deal with his own internal party issues and behind the scenes meetings with the British and Irish governments and some of his pro-Agreement partners, David Trimble has finally launched his own attack on his main Unionist opponents, the DUP. Yet because we are clearly in the endgame the DUP are desperately hoping that they can exploit the difficulties and pains of the transition in order to snatch the spoils of …
Although it has yet to be officially confirmed, it seems that the British Labour party has lifted its 79 year ban on residents of Northern Ireland joining its ranks. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Regular readers of the comments zone here on Slugger will have noticed that a number of spammers have begun to target the site. We are currently looking at ways of dealing with this. As far as possible normal service will continue but from time to time some of the posts may seem to disappear and then re-appear without warning. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the …
Mark Mulholland first blog thoughts on Labour history in Northern Ireland. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Mark McGregor writes with his unofficial view of the recently released from the Northern Ireland Office of policing statistics under the provisions of the Terrorism Act. He perhaps provides a hint as to why so many Republicans are sceptical about any IRA move that would provide Tony Blair with a unilateral Act of Completion. By Mark McGregor The NI statistics on the operation of the Terrorism Act 2000 : Annual Statistics 2002 were released this week, as with these reports …
Strange as it may seem, this is not an Northern Ireland story. The Catholic bishop of Birmingham has complained about the immenent showing of three programmes which various ways either criticise the Church or lampoon it. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
